Kindness, emotions and human relationships: The blind spot in public policy

20th November 2018

Carnegie Fellow, Julia Unwin CBE, has published a report exploring the current challenges of public policy and the importance of kindness.

There is growing recognition of the importance of human connection and relationships for individual and societal wellbeing. Values that were previously considered ‘out-of-scope’ – such as kindness, love and compassion – just might form part of the solution to some of our most unmanageable social problems. Julia’s report Kindness, emotions and human relationships: The blind spot in public policy explores the need for kindness and how it doesn’t fit easily within the rational, dispassionate, evidence-based language of public policy.

Julia argues that there have been good reasons for keeping kindness separate from public policy to-date – such as fairness, openness and safety – which can become clouded by kindness, emotions and human relationships. However current public policy challenges now demand an approach that is more centred on relationships and human connection.